Take Action

This toxic pesticide is poisoning our food

Help us reach our goal of 65,000 messages

Progress:
97%
Alerts Taken:
63316
Goal:
65000

In a move that will put almost anyone who comes into contact with many common foods at risk, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has refused to ban the toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos.

Based on many scientific studies, the EPA determined that even very low levels of exposure to chlorpyrifos—a pesticide used on staple foods like corn, wheat, apples and citrus—can cause irreparable harm and damage children’s developing brains.

But Pruitt refuses to ban this dangerous chemical from our food, a decision that neglects the agency’s own science and puts millions at risk.

Chlorpyrifos contaminates our food and water, and agricultural workers and families in rural communities are at the front lines of exposure to this neurotoxic chemical. Exposing children to chlorpyrifos results in reduced IQ, loss of working memory and attention deficit disorders. Workers poisoned by chlorpyrifos experience vomiting, muscle cramps and twitching, tremors and weakness. This neurotoxic pesticide was banned for residential use 17 years ago, so why would the EPA continue to allow it to be used on farms, where it can poison everything it touches?

Earthjustice will hold the EPA accountable. We’re back in court asking for an order directing the EPA to put a full ban in place. Join us in urging the government to keep this toxic pesticide out of our food, our water, our schools and yards, and our bodies.

This action alert will target your Congressional representatives, your Governor, and your state Attorney General. Your personalized message will be added along with the following letter:

Important Notices and Resources

All information submitted with your comment (name, address, etc.) may be placed in the public record for this proceeding. Do NOT submit confidential or sensitive information.

By taking action, you will receive emails from Earthjustice. Learn more on our Privacy Policy.

YOUR MESSAGE

I urge you to take action to protect children, workers and consumers from the pesticide chlorpyrifos. All chlorpyrifos uses must be banned.

The science is in: There are no safe uses of chlorpyrifos. Prenatal exposures to this chemical are associated with reduced IQ, loss of working memory, attention disorders and delayed motor development. Whenever chlorpyrifos is sprayed, it can cause immediate and long-term health harms to kids, farmers, farmworkers and others who are exposed. In fact, chlorpyrifos poisons workers and surrounding communities every year. In its latest risk assessment of chlorpyrifos, the EPA determined that all exposures to it are unsafe. The agency found that:

* All food exposures exceed safe levels, with children ages 1-2 exposed to levels of chlorpyrifos that are 140 times what the EPA deems safe* There is no safe level of chlorpyrifos in drinking water* Chlorpyrifos is found at unsafe levels in the air at schools and homes in communities in agricultural areas* All workers who mix and apply chlorpyrifos are exposed to unsafe levels of the pesticide, even with maximum personal protective equipment and engineering controls

Action on this toxic chemical is long overdue. If you want to:

* Protect children from learning and memory impairments* Protect communities from pesticide poisonings when chlorpyrifos drifts in the air into nearby neighborhoods and schools* Prevent contamination of our food* Prevent contamination of our drinking water* Prevent worker poisonings and harm to workers' children

I urge you to speak out, hold the EPA accountable, and take action to ban this neurotoxic pesticide by co-sponsoring H.R.3380 in the House and S.1624 in the Senate.

Thank you for your consideration of this important issue. I look forward to hearing about how you will stand up to protect children, workers and consumers from chlorpyrifos.

Sincerely,[Your Name][City, State ZIP]

*Required fields

*Title:

*First Name:

*Last Name:

*Email:

*Address:

*City:

*State:

*ZIP Code:

*Phone Number:

Yes, I would like to receive periodic updates and communications from Earthjustice.